Setting Goals Instrumental and Missional Thinking

Short-Term Goal(6 months)My short-term goal is to consciously revisit my educational goals and mission statement before implementing any new technology into the classroom. I am very tempted by the idea that something is "cool" or "new". I have backwards-rationalized the use of technology. I have reasoned that anything new and exciting will be good for student engagement without specifically focusing on my larger goals aligned to my larger educational philosophy.

For example, I have been exploring google cardboard and virtual reality for my tinker tale. I want to use the technology so much that I have spent more time on how other teachers can use VR in their classroom rather than thinking about how VR would be useful in my own classroom.

If I am not explicitly clear on how the use of technology enhances the larger vision or goal of my teaching, then students will also become lost in the nuances of learning new technological tools.

Long-Term Goal (5 years)My long-term goal is to develop tools to help teachers consciously use Missional Thinking when implementing new technology. One idea is to create a graphic organizer which starts with an educational mission statement and includes guiding questions to help teachers decide on which tech tools would be best for achieving their educational mission. The next step could be to create an interactive website that generates lesson plans or ideas after a teacher inputs a skill and the technology tools available to them. (Similar to the website Candance showed us for STEM activities).

Another long-term goal is to reshape how administrators decide on buying technology. Currently the main driving factor on how schools buy technology, "Will this support standardized testing?" and the cost. I am thinking about how we can create tools which administrators could quickly remind themselves that their technology implementation decisions should be based on their mission to educate students and not over-testing them.

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